“What is your first feeling after this game?
We are first of all very very happy, whatever the scenario of the match and the content, of the victory. Four minutes from the end, we are 3 tries everywhere, we want to score to get the offensive bonus and take away the defensive bonus. We managed to do that.
The choice to stay in their camp on your last penalties was therefore intended to mark the bonus try?
Yes, it was the scenario that we had studied the day before (Friday) in our scenario meetings. There, the question was “three tries everywhere, there are four minutes left and we lead by four points”… We then decided to seek the offensive bonus while also knowing that we could lose the ball. Which happened because we didn’t score straight away. In their camp, if we are good, it is possible. We had made this choice on Friday evening and it was the right one.
“Wow? I want to encourage him, to protect him. »
How would you qualify the gesture of Mohamed Haouas which earned him a red card?
I want to say that it is a very tough defensive position to hold. You are defending your goal line and all forwards are in forward position, ready to snap to dominate the collision. That’s what he did. Except that… when he ducked, the scrum-half who went on the closed side also ducked. In the expectations of the referees, there are these notions of space and time. I consider that ”Momo” had neither the space nor the time to change his position. He fell on a player lower than him and he paid dearly.
Can this red card, his second under your mandate, compromise his presence at the World Cup?
(Annoyed) Half of the questions concern this red card for the moment… It’s a fact of the game, a sanction that we don’t dispute and it stops there. I have only one desire, it is to really encourage him, to protect him. We want to help him, he is part of the team, and he was part of the one who had a great start to the match against Scotland. He is part of the team and we will protect him. We’ll see how long he’s suspended now.
It’s Greg Alldritt who comes out after this red card…
We had all the possibilities to bring in a right pillar… We made that choice and it’s very hard for Greg (Alldritt). He had a top game, he was really good, and it’s very frustrating for him. But it’s like that. We had to make a decision…
How do you analyze this match after this red card and the management of your team?
The whole match was a matter of adaptation. We had difficulties, real Scottish highlights. We have highlights near the Scottish lines but we couldn’t score, this action before half-time for Charles Ollivon and this touch that we don’t play because it’s half-time and Ethan Dumortier who must dive to score down the line but don’t dive. In the end, when you take an attacking bonus against Scotland – in my opinion the best Scottish team of all time – you have to be happy with such a result. »